


Towards a New World

by serenbach



Category: GreedFall (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21840007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenbach/pseuds/serenbach
Summary: Vasco gets to know De Sardet on the voyage to Teer Fradee and sees first hand the loyalty and friendship he shows towards his cousin and his man-at-arms.By the end of their journey, Vasco finds himself wanting to be one of those friends, and maybe a little more as well.
Relationships: De Sardet/Vasco (GreedFall)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 108
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Towards a New World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YunaBlaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YunaBlaze/gifts).

> Happy Yuletide Yunablaze!

Vasco watched his noble guests as they acclimatised themselves to their first day on board ship. For all his initial enthusiasm, their young soon-to-be Governor soon retired to his quarters, pleading seasickness (although Vasco suspected that was as much to do with his previous night’s adventures as it was inexperience with sea travel), and their man-at-arms, Kurt, seemed more or less at home with the crew.

De Sardet seemed happy enough to just roam around the ship, chatting to his crew and appearing genuinely interested in them and what they had to say. When De Sardet noticed him watching, he smiled over at him politely before crossing the deck to join him.

“Captain Vasco,” De Sardet said. “I hope you don’t mind me distracting your crew.”

“Not at all,” Vasco replied, leaning back against the railing and watching him thoughtfully. For one thing, his crew knew better than to talk about things they shouldn’t, and for another it was a refreshing change to see a noble actually care about the Naut way of life. “I’d like to thank you again for returning our cabin boy to us.”

“I simply returned him to his family,” De Sardet replied, settling against the railings alongside him, close but not touching. “I need no thanks for that.”

“Too many among the nobility would not see it that way or take such trouble for such a low-ranking member of our crew.”

De Sardet smiled again. It was a fainter smile than before, but it somehow felt more _real _to Vasco than the polite empty smile of a legate. “Family is what you make of it, I find. And speaking of my family, I should probably go and see just how terrible my cousin is feeling.”

He at Vasco nodded as he left, and Vasco recalled that had barely been a whole day since De Sardet had fought the beast that had escaped from one of their ship's hold.

He had been calm in battle, even against a creature that he had never seen before, could never imagine. Magic had bloomed from his fingertips, he had dodged and swiped with his sword, never hinting at a trace of fear. 

No, the only time De Sardet had shown fear was when Constantin had been threatened by the monster. The only time he had heard De Sardet raise his voice was when he had ordered Kurt and himself to keep Constantin safe. 

Vasco couldn’t help but feel that Constantin was lucky to have a cousin so dedicated to him.

\---

They had been at sea for three days when Kurt hustled De Sardet up on deck. “You’ve been sitting around too long, Green Blood! This journey is no excuse for you to get lazy.”

“That’s my job,” Constantin commented from where he was sitting nearby and watching. He still looked a little pale, Vasco noticed from where he had stopped to watch what was sure to be an entertaining show.

De Sardet smiled at his cousin, before turning back to Kurt, his smile turning sharper, cheekier. “I’ve not been the one staying up all night drinking with the crew, Kurt.”

Kurt drew his sword, baring his teeth in a grin. “It would take more than a couple of nights of drinking for you to get the drop on me.”

“We’ll see about that,” De Sardet laughed, flexing his ring hand.

“No magic on my ship,” Vasco called across to them, mostly not serious, though there was a small chance that a stray bolt of energy could disrupt one of the instruments they didn’t know about.

De Sardet laughed. “Taking sides, captain? That hardly seems fair.” But he obligingly drew the light sword at his side and fell into a duelling stance.

Vasco watched with interest as De Sardet and Kurt sparred back and forth across the deck. He was not the only one, he could see all the crew who were stationed on the deck commenting on their fight, money exchanging hands. Vasco, however, focused all his attention on De Sardet. He was moving easily on the deck – most non-Nauts struggled to adjust to the rocking of the ship but De Sardet was starting to move like he was born on one – and he easily kept up with Kurt, despite the latter’s bragging.

Mostly though, Vasco listened to their banter. Friendly insults, in-jokes, comfortable teasing.

They had obviously known each other for a long time and were just as obviously fond of each other. Vasco had heard of nobles who would have dismissed their servants for half of what he was saying.

But De Sardet obviously didn’t see Kurt as a servant. Vasco wondered how that had happened, but then De Sardet seemed to collect friends as easily as some men collected debts. 

Vasco couldn't help but wonder if they would be friends like that, someday, if whenever he made port in Teer Fradee they would make a point to catch up, to joke and banter like De Sardet did with Kurt, but even as the thought made him smile a little, it left him feeling oddly unsatisfied.

\---

Perhaps not surprisingly De Sardet had an excellent poker face.

He had won the fourth pot, much to the other player’s disgust, and his own personal amusement.

And Constantin’s amusement too, by the look on his face.

“Did they teach you that poker face in legate training?” Vasco asked with a laugh, tossing his cards on the table with a good-natured scowl.

Constantin’s expression turned dark and stormy in an instance. “More like from having to listen to people insult him right to his face.”

Kurt shook his head with a frown. De Sardet’s face remained mild. 

Vasco turned and gave him an inquiring look. De Sardet gestured vaguely at the mark on his face. “My… peculiarity. I think my first words must have been ‘don’t worry, it’s not contagious.’”

De Sardet laughed. His friends did not.

Vasco shrugged. “I think it suits you. I’m not used to looking at bare faces. Your, ah, _peculiarity _adds character.”

Constantin smiled, brightening up. Kurt gave him a piercing, calculating look.

De Sardet actually _blushed _and dropped his cards. “Thank you,” he said, quietly, his expression open and vulnerably pleased. 

"I can't believe no one has ever said that to you before!" Vasco said incredulously. De Sardet was a handsome man, and the mark on his face only added to it, as far as Vasco was concerned, but De Sardet just shook his head, still not quite managing to meet his eyes. 

Vasco realised in that moment that he liked seeing De Sardet like that, wanted to be the cause of that expression again. He smiled, watching De Sardet fumble with his cards, inadvertently showing his hand. 

When Constantin drew his cousin’s attention for a moment, Kurt gave him a pointed look.

“Eyes to yourself, captain,” he murmured, too quietly for De Sardet to hear.

He’d known that De Sardet cared for his companions, and they for him before this, of course, but he hadn’t quite realised that he wanted to be one of those companions, not until now.

He obligingly looked down at his cards, but he was still thinking of that blush. 

\---

When they arrived on Teer Fradee, Vasco was completely blindsided by being stripped of his command. It was a small consolation that De Sardet seemed as bewildered by the Admiral’s decision as he was.

“I gave you a good report,” De Sardet said quietly as they walked through the docks. “If this had anything to do with me… I truly am sorry.”

He meant it, Vasco realised, his expression pinched and distressed, and something tight and pained inside his chest loosened.

“I’ll do everything I can to get you your ship back,” De Sardet continued, not seeming to notice Vasco's relief. “But for now… I must say that I’m glad that we are travelling together for a little longer.”

Vasco smiled at him and found that it was genuine. He knew that De Sardet meant it, that he truly cared about loss of his ship. It was not a meaningless, empty showing of sympathy from a politician, It was concern demonstrated by a friend. “I'm glad, too.”

De Sardet patted his arm as he walked next to him, and Vasco felt very warm all of a sudden. He sent a sideways glance at the man who had come into his life like a tempest and yet was somehow as calm as the eye of the storm despite all the currents eddying around him. Vasco trusted him, trusted he would do right by him, and by his people.

If he couldn’t be at sea, he was glad that he was here, with De Sardet. 


End file.
